Fire Damage Prevention For Your Business

As a business owner, you take steps everyday to protect your team, customers, inventory and facility. And a fire can literally burn it down to the ground. According to research by the Department of Homeland Security, It can take just 30 seconds for a small flame to turn into a major blaze. Protecting your business from an emergency will save you thousands of dollars in fire damage and loss. 

Maximize Fire Suppression and Protection Systems

Start with the commercial standards (and legally mandated) systems. If your business has more risky processes, inventory or raw materials, upgrade to your industry’s best in class protections. The fire sprinkler, fire alarm, and emergency power systems should be then inspected and tested every year by a licensed contractor who will provide the property manager with a copy of the inspection report. The basics include…

• Fire extinguishers – The top cause of commercial building fires is cooking fires, a fire extinguisher placed near the kitchen area can give employees the power to stop a small cooking fire from spreading. Lastly, train your employees to use it.   
• Fire alarms –  Maintenance is key. In fires in which the smoke alarms were present but did not operate, almost half had missing or disconnected batteries. Only 7% of the failures were due to hardwired power source problems, including disconnected smoke alarms, power outages, and power shut-offs..
• Commercial fire sprinkler system – A sprinkler system can squelch a potentially deadly fire. The NFPA has no record of a fire killing more than 2 people in a building that was completely sprinkled. Having only 1 or 2 fire sprinkler heads can contain the majority of fires. 

Careless Acts and Human Error

Cultivate a culture of safety. Encourage dialog and shared responsibility over common spaces. Expect employees to correct one another over safety violations. According to FEMA, 9.2% of commercial fires were unintentional results of careless acts:

• Accidentally leaving space heaters or other heat producing equipment on
• Carelessly discarded cigarette butts igniting fires
• Plugging too many things into the same extension cord
• Forgetting electric cooking appliances
• Using candles and lighted decorations

Enforce Rules For Smokers

Cigarettes pose a risk; the debris can ignite other materials and cause a commercial fires. While the number of smokers might be dropping at your work, they still pose a fire risk to commercial facilities. Ensure that smoking is prohibited in facilities and no closer than 25 feet from the property. Maintain proper receptacles for cigarette butts.

Install a Commercial Alarm System

Invest in a security alarm system that will detect any suspicious activity in the evening hours when the building is most at risk. Keeping the area well-lit at night, or installing motion sensor lights outside, can deter criminal activity. Many companies also offer alarm monitoring services to ensure that your business is protected at all hours of the day and night. 

Consider More Training 

As a team leader, it is sometimes difficult to get the team members on board for fire safety. Bringing members of your organization together in the same room to receive knowledge and training from expert instructors can address specific one-the-job and workplace safety concerns. On-location training programs can be custom-designed to address your safety and educational requirements and establish a common language and information-base for your team. Externally designed training allows participants to learn in their own environment, putting codes into context and bringing them to life.  

One option is the National Fire Protection Association ( NFPA). Many other leading businesses, institutions, and government agencies have benefited from in-person NFPA instruction that meets industry and facility specific objectives. 

Fire Damage Cleanup in Prairieville

When your facility has suffered fire damage, get a professional repair team in now. Every day that you delay increases the amount of damage and decreases your productivity. Crossroads Property Rescue provides emergency property restoration and decontamination services to Prairieville and throughout the tri-state area. 

Whether the issue is a fire, water, mold, biohazard, or any other property damaging event, Crossroads Property Rescue will provide respectful, compassionate service intent on minimizing loss and maximizing restoration of the client’s personal items.